Valentina Milanova, Venture Associate at Founders Factory, joins Travel Tech Con 18

We are happy to welcome Valentina joining Travel Tech Con 2018 pitch competition judges team!

We asked Valentina a few questions on her vision for travel tech developments.

What in your opinion drives innovation and leaps forward in travel industry today and how is it different from say 10 years ago?

The biggest change I see today undoubtedly is the openness of large corporate players towards collaborations with young startups. Startups have the flexibility, action-oriented mindset and lack of complicated approval structures that allow them to push new processes forward in a test mode. Larger companies tend to be clogged up in long decision-making loops with entrenched hierarchies, which often hamper innovation and promote office politics.

What do startups building next generation travel tech products need to understand about the industry evolution and future opportunities?

Travel startups have been relatively slow to adopt deep-tech tools, like artificial intelligence, machine learning, image recognition and blockchain. I see a really strong focus on inspiration in the market today; I wish there were more deep-tech entrepreneurs trying to solve pain points in travel. AI is eating the world and the sooner travel startups start thinking about proprietary technologies, the better adapted they will be to face the challenges of tomorrow.

What are some of your favorite travel tech products, projects or innovation initiatives that the industry should be paying attention to?

The projects in travel I find most interesting at the moment are the ones utilising machine learning and computer vision to replace passport control at airports. There are few pain points in travel that are more acutely expressed than the endless queues at both arrivals and departures. Startups like TrueFace and VChain play a significant role in the field.

I am also interested in projects that make the often sad, lonely and sick life of the business traveller better. Tools like Voya and TapTrip are designed to increase the ease of the booking process; while solutions like 15th Degree try to remedy the negative health impact frequent travel has on the human body.

Join us in welcoming Valentina to the judges team at Travel Tech Con 2018!